The present invention relates to equipment and methods useful in transfer of materials, and more particularly, to transfer of dry materials from a floating vessel to a second vessel.
When doing a stimulation job at sea, a single, specialized vessel is typically used to both transport materials to the site, and conduct stimulation operations. Thus, when a stimulation vessel completes a job and leaves a rig, it frequently must go back to shore to fill up with materials before proceeding to the next rig. In large operations, a stimulation vessel may lack sufficient storage to complete the job without refilling with proppant. Thus, larger stimulation vessels may be used at an increased cost. Alternatively, additional stimulation vessels may be used to ensure limited downtime while waiting for any particular stimulation vessel to complete a trip to shore.